“A load of crap” were the words Declan Rice chose when addressing speculation surrounding his International future following his Man of the Match performance in Irelands 2-1 win vs USA in June. His second Man of the Match performance in just his third senior International. In the same interview, he stated his excitement to make his competitive debut in the newly formed Nations League, with matches against Wales and Denmark scheduled for September. Fast forward three months, Martin O’Neill revealing Rice had requested to be left out of the two International games as he considered switching allegiances to England. Rice’s previous three caps had all come in International friendlies, as the Nations League games are under FIFA rules they are deemed competitive games meaning if he played he would forfeit his ability to switch allegiances, hence, his absence. There seems to be a consensus amongst Irish supporters that Rice is a traitor and should never be considered for Ireland again, even on the off chance he decides not to declare for England, but is this fair?
Trials can be a stressful time for athletes who are looking to take the next step in their sporting career. Commonly at trials, the better players go under the radar and don’t grab the coaches attention enough. They leave feeling bewildered and frustrated that they have blown another opportunity when they know that they are good enough to have gotten through. Here are the do’s and don’ts of having a successful trial. The Do'sBe prepared for your trial
Step 1 and by far the most important regarding going for a trial and hoping to be successful is to be prepared both mentally and physically. Ever hear of the saying ‘Fail to prepare, prepare to fail.’ Trialists should approach the trial with the right mindset and be in peak physical condition. Onlooking coaches, managers and scouts can see an athlete straight away who is in prime condition. Train for your trial, put in the time and graft doing drills on the pitch addressing your weaknesses or hours in the gym getting yourself right. Nutrition is key. Fuel your body with the right foods lay off the takeaways for a few weeks and drink plenty of water. If you are carrying a niggly injury go get it sorted. It is not a good first impression if you are walking into a trial injured. After all first impressions matter.
Bad acting and corrupt villains. No, I am not referring to the latest James Bond film but in fact the current state of world football. Widespread simulation, match fixing and corruption now as common as bad haircuts throughout the sport. It has gotten to the stage where I am nearly embarrassed to tell someone I play football. A few weeks ago, I was chatting up a girl in a pub and when I told her I play football she said “oh, so you are one of those guys who get touched and throw yourself on the ground?” Needless to say I did not pull, but it got me thinking about the state of the sport and how could it have gotten this bad. A simple shoulder to shoulder collision these days, is likely to result in a foul. The amount of diving also contributes to this image of the sport being of “soft” nature, with some of the top players in the world taking this to extremes. Ashley Young, Arjen Robben and Luis Suarez to name but a few of the regular offenders. As for the corruption, the sport we all know and love has been used by a few FIFA executives to make quick and easy cash.
In the summer of 2015, scandal hit footballs head governing body, FIFA, when the US department of justice arrested 7 FIFA executives on corruption charges. These executives took bribes from Russia and Qatar to vote for them and send the next two world cups to these countries. FIFA’s long standing president Sepp Blatter denied any wrong doing in this case but I just cannot see how he could have been unaware to all of this happening under his nose. John Delaney has admitted to receiving a €5 million “loan” from Blatter following the infamous Henry handball in 2009. So in my eyes Blatter is corrupt, how in the name of god he is still FIFA president is beyond me. He is set to step down in the near future but even when that will be is unclear. He is subject to Swiss criminal investigation and is currently still FIFA president. Any other position of power in the world and he would be long gone as well thrown in jail. |
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